A few days later, the General's Mansion received an invitation from Princess Jinghe.

She wanted to invite Xie Shiyan to her banquet, the purpose of which was to celebrate Xie Shiyan's triumphant return.

The invitation also specifically stated that this was a private banquet hosted by Princess Jinghe, and only a few familiar young men and women from prominent families were invited. Xie Shiyan was also welcome to bring his family.

The meaning is quite clear.

They hoped Xie Shiyan would bring Gu Jiangli along as well.

Gu Jiangli sighed repeatedly as she held the invitation.

Seeing her listless appearance, Xie Shiyan chuckled and said, "Don't you want to go?"

Gu Jiangli said in a low voice, "Knowing that there's a pit ahead, if you were in that situation, would you want to jump in?"

"I can help you refuse."

"You don't want to go to Shiyan either, do you?"

Gu Jiangli could tell that Xie Shiyan didn't like the princess either, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken to her so bluntly in front of everyone.

It's normal that he doesn't want to go.

Xie Shiyan stopped smiling, frowned, and remained silent.

Gu Jiangli then said:

We have to go.

"The fact that the princess sent an invitation proves that she hasn't given up on you and also harbors resentment towards me."

"If you don't completely dispel her thoughts, she will keep digging traps for me and keep bothering you."

"So whether it's for your sake or for mine, we have to go to this banquet."

Xie Shiyan's face was full of impatience. "This banquet is obviously a trap for you. Have you thought of a way to deal with it?"

Gu Jiangli said with a somewhat ingratiating smile:

"I can roughly guess what the princess is going to do. To deal with her, I'll need Shi Yan's help."

Xie Shiyan asked with some interest, "What do you want to do?"

Gu Jiangli narrowed his eyes and smiled:

"Find a witness."

————

Two days later, Princess Jinghe held a banquet in the Imperial Garden of the palace.

The imperial palace was a place where people were not allowed to enter or leave easily, but since Princess Jinghe was the one hosting the banquet, the emperor agreed.

Gu Jiangli and Xie Shiyan arrived slowly, and all the guests in the Imperial Garden had already arrived.

There were men and women, all of similar age, and most of them were young ladies and gentlemen from well-known families in the capital.

At this moment, almost everyone was gathered around Princess Jinghe, admiring the flowers with her, while a few others were chatting amongst themselves.

The moment the two of them arrived, the conversation stopped instantly, and all eyes turned to them.

A moment later, gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.

They were basically saying that Xie Shiyan was outstanding in appearance and handsome beyond compare.

Gu Jiangli, standing beside him, was also exceptionally beautiful, gentle and graceful.

Judging by their appearance alone, they are indeed a very good match.

Princess Jinghe's eyes lit up immediately when she saw Xie Shiyan, even though she was admiring the flowers with the ladies around her.

But the joy on her face immediately vanished upon seeing Gu Jiangli.

Adding to the commotion, some quiet murmurs reached her ears, instantly ruining her good mood.

She shot a piercing glare at the speaker, and they immediately fell silent.

Princess Jinghe composed herself and walked towards Gu Jiangli with small, quick steps.

She rolled her eyes at Gu Jiangli and said to Xie Shiyan:

"Brother Ayan, you've finally arrived! Everyone's been eager to meet you, the great hero who fought for Northern Qi!"

As soon as she finished speaking, voices of agreement rose from the surrounding crowd.

"Thanks to General Xie's unparalleled bravery, the Southern Lin Kingdom was completely defeated."

"If it weren't for General Xie, the Northern Qi and Southern Lin would probably have been at war for more than ten years."

"The peace and prosperity that Northern Qi enjoys today is entirely thanks to General Xie."

......

Such compliments were heard incessantly.

Gu Jiangli was right next to Xie Shiyan, but she didn't say a word about her.

She knew that these people were mostly the princess's friends, and that they had come to this treacherous banquet to deal with her. Most of them would speak up for Princess Jinghe.

Gu Jiangli stood silently to the side.

Xie Shiyan was disgusted by these platitudes, and his face immediately fell as he said:

"If the princess invited me here just to listen to these flattering words, then there is no need for it."

He pulled Gu Jiangli around.

This action startled Princess Jinghe, who thought the two were about to leave.

"No, no, no, Brother Ayan, don't misunderstand. Everyone has been hearing your legends for a long time, and it's only today that we've met you in person. It's understandable that we're a little excited. It's not intentional flattery."

"Today's banquet is for you, to welcome your triumphant return. If you are not here, then this banquet has no meaning."

"Brother Ayan, please give me some face."

Princess Jinghe, who was always arrogant and domineering, was now speaking so sincerely and humbly, trying to persuade everyone to stay, which stunned everyone.

Gu Jiangli silently tugged at Xie Shiyan's sleeve, her eyes blinking rapidly, indicating that she wanted him to stay.

Xie Shiyan reluctantly walked to his seat and sat down.

The banquet was finally able to begin smoothly.

But everyone noticed Gu Jiangli's action of tugging at Xie Shiyan's sleeve earlier.

Princess Jinghe saw it all clearly.

Everyone understands one thing.

That means Xie Shiyan truly loves Gu Jiangli very much.

Xie Shiyan was able to stay for the meal not because of Princess Jinghe's sincere invitation, but because of a small gesture from Gu Jiangli.

Princess Jinghe sat back in the main seat, her hands clasped tightly under her sleeves, trying her best to maintain a natural expression.

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